Jacquard needle spring guide



Dec. 28, 1937. H. v. FOSTER JACQUARD NEEDLE SPRING GUIDE Filed Feb. 12, 1957 Herb 422.4 7;

Inventor 1 rt \I. Foster ttorruay E I Patented Dec. 28, 1937 s PATENT OFFICE JACQUARD NEEDLE SPRING GUIDE Herbert Victor Foster, Providence, R. I., assignorv to Crompton & Knowles Jacquard '& Supply Company, 'Pawtucket, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 12, 1937, Serial No. 125,517

7 Claims.

, This invention relates to improvements in jacquards and it is the general object of the inventionto improve the needle mechanism of such constructions.

Jacquard mechanisms employ a large number of needles in close proximity to each other to which are presented a series of cards having blank and perforated portions depending upon the pattern being woven. The needles are held yieldingly and normally in an outward position to place warp controlling uprights in the path of rising knives. Blank spaces on the cards push thejneedles back against the action of springs to move the uprights out of the path of the knives.

The ends of the needles remotefrom the cards pass through a so-called spring box in which are located a great number of small compression springs, one on each needle, which the needles in outward position. found that the movement of the needles by the cards causes lateral distortion and deflection of the springs and the latter rub against each other because of the small space between them and cause wear with ultimate breakage and defective operation of the needles. It is an important object of. my present invention to provide means for preventing the springs'from interfering with each other and to cause each needle to be responsive to its own spring alone without being influenced by the springs of neighboring needles.

serve to hold It has been One end of the needle is generally bent back on itself to extend around a guide rod against which one end of the corresponding spring presses.

spread apart to define ashoulde The parallel sides of the needle are r against which the other end of the spring presses. It is a further object of my invention to. surround thebent end of the needle with a small sleeve or the like which is proportioned to prevent the coils of the spring from bending toward neighboring springs. While I have shown one particular form of sleeve for accomplishing this result, yet I do not wish to be limited to the specific structure shown hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of my inv invention,

ention is set forth, Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a jacquard showing the needles equipped with my present Fig. 2 is a view similar to the left end of Fig. l but on an enlarged scale, 1

Fig. 3 is a plan view of that end of the needle remote from the card and showing a needle and sleeve surrounding it on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the structure shown in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, the jacquard frame I is provided with a plurality of needles I I, the right ends of which as shown in Fig. 1 pass through needle plate l2 for cooperation with a card l3 moved toward the needles by a cylinder l4. Each needle cooperates with an upright wire l5 hooked at its upper end for cooperation with one or another of a set of vertically reciprocating knives or griffes 16. Each needle controls one or more of the uprights and when a needle is moved to the left by a blank space in the card the upper remains down to form part of the'bottom shed of the warp.

The left end of each needle may be formed as shown in Fig. 3 with a reversely bent portion which extends parallel to the main part of the needle, the latter being offset as at H and the'bent part having a corresponding offset 22 opposite the first offset to define a shoulder. The needles are arranged in vertical and horizontal rows and there is a guide rod 25 for each vertical row. Each rod 25 passes through the bent end; of a needle as suggested in Fig. 3 and each needle is further provided with a small compression spring 26 surrounding the bent end and lo cated between the corresponding guide rod 25 and shoulder defined by theoffsets 2i and 22. The latter receive the right hand thrust of the spring so that the needles are held yieldingly to the right when in normal position. The rod 25 may be carried by a spring box structure 30 attached to the left end of the jacquard and including supporting wires 3| on which the needles rest.

The matter thus far described is of common construction and in its normal operation the cylinder 14 moves toward the needle plate 12 to present a card l3. When a needle is depressed by a blank space on the card the corresponding upright I5 is moved to non-lifting position and the spring associated with the needle is compressed against corresponding rod 25 by movement of the offsets 2| and 22 to the left. During this movement of the needle the spring as heretofore provided undergoes distortion and since the needles are close to each other the springs which happen to be bent toward each other engage and produce wear.

My present invention is related more particularly to means for preventing the springs 26 from deflecting laterally and in carrying my invention into eiTect I provide a sleeve 40 which as shown herein may be made of a single sheet of metal rolled on itself and having longitudinal edges 4|- and 42 spaced from each other toldefine a slot through which rod 25 may pass. The opposite side of the sleeve is provided preferably though not necessarily with a closed slot 43 through which the rod 25 also passes; The closed slot 43 prevents loss of the sleeve by cooperation with the associated rod 25 and the sleeve is of sufficient length to extend substantial to the ofisets 2| and 22.

spring coils surrounding it, as suggested in Fig. 5. The slot 43 is sufiiciently long to accommodate the longitudinal movement of the needle with respect to the guide rod 25.

In operation of my invention the springs are free to exercise their control over the needles at all times since they slide relatively to the sleeve located within them. When a needle is compressed, however, substantial lateral deflection of the spring coils is prevented by the sleeves and each spring is confined to a relatively small space without possibility of engagement with neighboring springs. The sleeve will ordinarily move longitudinally with the wire, this movement being accommodated by the slot 43.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided simple means for restraining lateral defiection or distortion of the springs of a jacquard needle. The sleeve fits loosely within the corresponding spring and is constructed to ofier no interference to the movement of the needle or action of the spring. It will further be seen that the sleeve is so constructed that it is held against loss by the guide rod 25 passing through it, although I do not wish to be limited to this means for retaining the sleeve in place. The offsets 2| and 22 limit movement of the sleeve to the right and for this reason I do not wish to be limited to the particular construction described for the slot 43. It will also be seen that the rod 25 cooperates with the sleeve and parallel parts of the needle to hold the sleeve in correct position to prevent objectionable deflection of the spring coils.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

The external diameter of the sleeve i I is slightly less than the internal diameter of the means surrounding part of the needle and located within the spring to prevent substantial lateral displacement of the coils of the spring when the latter is compressed.

- 3. In a jacquard mechanism, a needle, a compression spring surrounding the needle to resist movement of the latter in one direction, and means surrounding part of the needle and located within the springto prevent substantial lateral displacement of the coils of the spring when the latter is compressed,

4. In a jacquard mechanism, a needle, a guide rod for the needle, a compressible spring surrounding the needle and having one end thereof in engagement with the guide rod and the other end thereof in engagement with the needle to hold the latter yieldingly in normal position, and a sleeve surrounding part of the needle to prevent lateral distortion of the coils of the spring when the needle is moved from normal position toward the guide rod, said rod passing through the sleeve to prevent substantial angular movement of the sleeve relatively to the needle.

5. In a jacquard mechanism, a needle having two spacedparallel parts, a guide rod located between said parts, a compression spring surrounding said partsto engage the rod and needle tov hold the latter yieldingly in normal position, and a sleeve around said parts to prevent substantial lateral deflectionof the spring coils when the spring is compressed, the rod passing through the sleeve to prevent substantial angular displacement of the sleeve relatively to the needle.

6. In a jacquard mechanism a needle, a guide rod for theneedle, a compressible spring surrounding the needle and having one end thereof in engagement with the guide rod and the other end thereof in engagement with the needle to hold the latter yieldingly in normal position, and means to prevent lateral distortion of the coils of the spring when theneedle is moved from normal position toward the guide Wire, said means including a sleeve within the spring throughwhich the guide rod passes.

'7. A needle unit for a jacquard mechanism comprising a needle, a spring surrounding the,

HERBERT VICTOR FOSTER. 

